All on the Line: Kara Janx

Kara Janx on how Joe Zee helped her eponymous line get serious and grow up

Over the course of the show, your line becomes much more sophisticated and streamlined. Can you tell me about that evolution?

The line for the show is really silhouette-driven. It's about clean lines, and it's a simplified version of the original Kara Janx collection http://www.karajanx.com/ that I started out with. The derivative was the kimono, but it's become a lot more tailored and more thoughtfully constructed. The further I go in my design development, the better I understand fabrications, which allows me to elevate the quality of my designs to new heights.

Can you briefly summarize the path that brought you to All on the Line?

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I am from Johannesburg, South Africa, and have been in New York for the past 13 years. I studied architecture in school, and then when I came to New York I worked at an architecture firm and took night classes at FIT. I had always wanted to pursue fashion, but I didn't think of fashion as being as 'serious' as architecture. At FIT, I learned about sewing, silk screen, and drapery and realized that fashion was so much more rigorous than I had thought it was, and I decided then that I might want to pursue it exclusively. At the time, I had a small showroom where I was showing a few of my pieces, and the SoHo store Atrium placed a ginormous order, which got the ball rolling and put everything in motion.

Then Project Runway came along and I said, Hell's for leather—this is something that I should do! I applied and I knew in my heart that I would get on the show; it was just one of those times in your life when you become clairvoyant about a turning point in your career. I can't say the rest is history, though, because there is still so much more history to come. I made it to the Project Runway finals and presented my Decoy collection. Sadly, I didn't win, but the press loved my designs, which helped me launch my whole business and underscored the credibility of my line. In the last challenge before I got kicked off the show, I wore one of my own kimono dresses, which was completely serendipitous. Michael Kors said to me, 'Oh my God, what you are wearing is so much better than the dresses you are showing here.' When the show wrapped, I sold thousands and thousands of those kimono dresses.

Wow, that's a true rags-to-riches story. That kimono dress certainly had legs—can you tell me a bit about how it became involved in All on the Line?

I've always had a lot of affection for the kimono. The whole idea of the kimono was about defining myself as a designer and what my brand should be about. The dualities of the design married everything that was going on in my life. I think when you are younger as a designer you don't really know what your design identity is yet, but it starts the wheels turning to help you move in that direction. I remember years ago trying to convince someone that she should take on my line because of the kimono, and she looked at me dumbfounded. After Project Runway and my success with the kimono, I tried to develop different ways to riff on that kimono design. A lot of people thought that I had stopped at the kimono, though, so I had to reinvent myself and show that I could do something besides the kimono so people didn't think I was riding on that design.

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Project Runway was such a huge learning curve for me. It is such a process, and so much of the growth comes from having such strong sounding boards and being in an environment that breeds creativity. I couldn't believe how much I grew as a designer and a person.

Did you have an assistant? How did you manage the flood of orders you got after Project Runway?

No, I wish! It was just me and a few interns. I think that the only way you can have success is if you have production on your side. I had a fantastic infrastructure of factories. I learned that the most important thing in the fashion business is that if someone orders a product, you need to make sure you can get it to them on time. A lot of working with the factories is trial and error, and you have to build a trust and a language with the factories. I think, sadly, not having that infrastructure is what leads to the demise of so many new designers. You come off the show and people want the clothes off your back. You have a small window, and if you can't produce, then you're done. Over the years, I have worked on building up the collection and really refining what my signature pieces are so if someone from WWD walks by one of my looks at one of the trade shows, they know the pieces are Kara Janx immediately.

Photos (clockwise from top left): Designer Kara Janx kissing Joe Zee; Zee critiquing one of Janx's designs; Janx in one of her designs.

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That brings us to All on the Line. Tell me about what is was like to work with Joe Zee.

It's always interesting to meet people on the set of a reality-TV show because all of your exchanges take place in a stylized environment. I challenged Joe's sincerity in the beginning but learned that there is so much of Joe that is warm, open, receptive, and authentic. I know that I needed to heed what he was saying. I also admire how he is always able to keep himself in the game. He is 24/7, and I love that. This business is a 24/7 game—fashion is a lifestyle, and if you want to live it you need to step it up. Joe taught me that if you can't keep yourself and your brand fresh and relevant, you are finished. Joe insists on the best, and he wants to pull out the best in everyone. I am really inspired by that.

Can you give me some specific examples about how he helped your brand evolve from a design perspective?

He looked at my kimono and saw the strength of it and its potential to be my signature piece. After Project Runway, I was so removed from it because it had stigma and glory and all of these things attached to it. Joe looked at my kimono with fresh eyes and counseled me on its the strengths and weaknesses. He told me that I needed to work my new collection around it and dig deep again in my designs—like I hadn't done in a long time.

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So the kimono returns once again! What were some of those strengths and weaknesses in designs that Joe identified?

He told me that I had a very good sense of color and that I have the talent to create very strong silhouettes. He said the weaknesses in the looks were that they were too young and not as architectural as they should be.

In addition to all your growth as a designer, is there anything that you learned about yourself from being on the show?

I realized that I had to let go of all of the insecurities that I constantly carry around with me. When I went to Project Runway, I was very insecure and psyched out. Joe helped me to realize that I am a talent. If a blog says a shitty thing about me, I've realized that I have to look for another blog that will say something positive. I don't take things as personally anymore. I am very committed to my business, I am very committed to myself, and I am very committed to my family. Through the show, I reached a point where I realized that I am going to have to do whatever it takes to define myself and that the only thing that really matters is that I need to be good. I've also had to realize that I can't be angry at the hurdles that come my way, but instead I have to embrace them. Once you discover that you have a talent, you have to grow it and protect it. I don't second-guess myself as much anymore. Also, I think the line's direction is definitely clearer. As a result of the show, I feel like I am growing up and the brand is growing up well.

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What do you mean by saying that the brand is growing up?

Because of Joe's influence, the line has become a more sophisticated version of itself. It is full of key pieces that a woman really wants to wear, like a jumpsuit and a blazer. It feels like stuff I want to wear. I am dying to make those pieces for myself, and I haven't had that in my collection in a long time. I feel like I have finally grown into my collection, if that makes sense. Also meeting Viktor and Rolf—which was mind-blowing—really helped me because I saw how directional all of their looks were, which inspired me to make my collection more cohesive. I left ruffles and all of those girly things aside in my revised collection and made it more streamlined. My earlier collections were the younger incarnation of this line, but there is still a feeling of youthfulness. The line I debuted in the show is the more polished older sister of my original collection.

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